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THE EV MOTOR COMPANY?
LiveWire Launched As Stand-Alone Brand - Page 64 FUELL BACK ON THE GAS
Why You Should Be An eDealer - Page 65 ZERO GOES GREEN FOR EARTH DAY
STAR WARS-STYLE SPEEDERS SET FOR RACING
eVTOL Electric Flying Cars Take Off
“The unveiling of the world’s first full-sized electric flying racing car is a landmark moment in the dawn of a new mobility revolution,” says Matthew Pearson, founder of Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics. “It is competition that drives progress and our racing series is hastening the arrival of technology that will transform clean-air passenger transport, logistics and even advanced air mobility for medical applications. The world’s first electric flying car races will take place this year and will be the most exciting and progressive motorsport on the planet.”
To that end, a full grid of Airspeeder Mk3 electric flying racecraft is currently being manufactured at Alauda’s technical HQ in Adelaide, South Australia. More than 10 identical racing vehicles will be produced and supplied to teams in 2021, according to Pearson. The craft is being developed and manufactured by a team drawn from leading names in aerospace and motorsport technology including McLaren, Babcock Aviation, Boeing, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Brabham.
The Airspeeder Mk3, is a full-sized remotely-operated electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL). It will compete in an upcoming remotely-piloted Airspeeder racing series that will stand as a technical test-bed and feeder series to a manned racing series in 2022. Both the remotely piloted Mk3 programme and manned Airspeeder Mk4 flying cars will provide a safe environment from where key innovations around safety, noise and batteries can be refined and fed into the wider development of an industry predicted by Morgan Stanley to be worth $1.5 trillion by 2050.
Watch it in action here:
https://youtu.be/_l5MyOpKD38 THE EV MOTOR COMPANY?
LiveWire To Be Re-Launched As Stand-Alone Brand
Forget what you think you know about the LiveWire. From launch, LiveWire will work with participating dealers from the HarleyDavidson network as an independent brand. An innovative go-tomarket model will blend digital and physical retail formats, tailoring the experience to the local market and allowing customers to discover LiveWire on their own terms. Tesla style factory stores and a virtual headquarters differentiate the new LiveWire from HarleyDavidson.
“One of the six pillars of The Hardwire Strategy is to lead in electric – by launching LiveWire as an all-electric brand, we are seizing the opportunity to lead and define the market in EV,” proclaims Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson. “With the mission to be the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world, LiveWire will pioneer the future of motorcycling, for the pursuit of urban adventure and beyond. LiveWire also plans to innovate and develop technology that will be applicable to Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles in the future.”
Dedicated showrooms? Seizing the opportunity to lead in EV and innovating across the customer journey, LiveWire will operate dedicated EV showrooms in select locations, starting in California. Here customers will be able to experience the LiveWire brand in an immersive and innovative way. “LiveWire is more than a motorcycle. LiveWire plans to redefine electric, delivering the best experience for the urban rider, with personality and soul,” he adds. “LiveWire creates a unique connection between rider and vehicle. Today, the next chapter in the LiveWire journey begins.”
Virtual HQ: Innovating by design and attracting industry-leading talent, LiveWire will be headquartered virtually, with initial hubs in Silicon Valley, CA (LiveWire Labs) and Milwaukee, WI.
Marketplace: From launch, LiveWire will work with participating dealers from the Harley-Davidson network as an independent brand. An innovative go-to-market model will blend digital and physical retail formats, tailoring the experience to the local market and allowing customers to discover LiveWire on their own terms.
Dedicated Showrooms: Seizing the opportunity to lead in EV and innovating across the customer journey, LiveWire will operate dedicated EV showrooms in select locations, starting in California. Here customers will be able to experience the LiveWire brand in an immersive and innovative way.
Technology Focus: With a dedicated focus on EV, LiveWire plans to develop the technology of the future and to invest in the capabilities needed to lead the transformation of motorcycling. LiveWire expects to benefit from Harley-Davidson’s engineering expertise, manufacturing footprint, supply chain infrastructure, and global logistics capabilities.
Technology Sharing: Harley-Davidson and LiveWire intend to cooperate and share their technological advancements to ensure an industry leading application in their respective core segments.
FUELL GETS ON THE GAS
eBike Program For Powersports Dealers
“We feel that powersports dealers are the perfect place to bring in people who are already comfortable on two-wheels, and ready to try something new,” notes Erik Buell, CTO of FUELL, Inc. “I have a passion for engineering and two wheeled vehicles, and I love our new Flluid E-bike because it gives people a new way to find real personal mobility.” The FUELL Powersports dealer program features the Flluid 1-S that comes standard with two large 504Wh Lithium batteries, a torque sensing 500w mid motor, and a Gates Carbon belt drive with an internally geared hub. According to Buell, this exceptional E-bike provides incredible efficiency, a sleek modern look and a range of up to 125 miles. The new FUELL dealer program has been created to set-up key Powersports dealers as full service FUELL dealers where customers can come in to see, touch and feel the Flluid E-bike.
Why powersports dealers? In a recent survey, 50% of customers who bought a Flluid E-bike are also motorcycle enthusiasts, most are between 45-65 years old, and make between $100,00 to $200,000 per year. What better way to bring in and develop new riders, as well as provide a fun and efficient new product for existing motorcycle customers?
To become a new FUELL dealer, e-mail dealer-support@
FUELL.US
To learn more about FUELL vehicles head to www.FUELL.US
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ZERO GOES GREEN FOR EARTH DAY
Zero Motorcycles celebrated Earth Day 2021 by launching its 15th Anniversary limited-edition DSR. In commemoration of Earth Day, $500 from each of five nature-inspired colorways was awarded directly to the National Forest Foundation. The campaign is designed around Zero Motorcycle’s continued effort to help to preserve Earth’s natural treasures, and to encourage customers to spend more time outside.
“Zero was founded with a passion for off-road motorcycles that could be ridden in the Santa Cruz Mountains,” explains Zero CEO Sam Paschel. “It has been our mission to transform the riding experience with pure electric vehicles, and a passion for conservation is deeply rooted in our DNA. Our bikes are an incredible way to experience off-road riding, including in America’s National Forests, and we stand with the National Forest Foundation in their mission to guarantee access to those lands for future generations.”
“We are excited and grateful to partner with Zero Motorcycles on projects to improve outdoor experiences and restore our National Forests,” adds Dayle Wallien, Conservation Partnerships Director for the National Forest Foundation. “Our public lands are amazing places to explore and recreate and we appreciate a commitment to help us steward them from an innovative company like Zero.”
The special edition DSR lineup will be available for order in limited quantities starting today, while supplies last, through all US Zero Motorcycle dealers. Powered by Zero’s Z-Force 75-7 motor, the DSR is said to provide 116 ft-lb of torque, 70 hp, a top speed of 102 mph, and up to 163 miles of range per charge. MSRP is $15,495.
SHIFTING GEARS
Damon on a charge! New role for COO and a world class creative team added to the Canadian EV experts to take the company’s HyperSport motorcycle brand and design to the next level. COO Derrick Dorresteyn adds CTO to his COO duties. Not a stretch for this hard charger on the EV scene. “I spent ten years as the founder and CTO of Alta Motors, serving on the company board, taking the company from concept to production and distribution (800 units shipped) of three electric motorcycle models and building the company to a staff of 100 employees,” notes Dorresteyn. “My scope included management of engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and racing strategy.” Damon founder and CEO Jay Giraud adds. “At Damon, we continue to expand and grow our team to deliver not just a revolutionary motorcycle, but a revolutionary experience for the next-generation of motorcyclists.”
Joining the Damon team is Doug Penman, CMO & VP, Brand. During his career, Penman has launched and accelerated some of the world’s largest technology and luxury brands including Intel, Microsoft, Volvo, Toyota, SanDisk, QuantumScape, Dell, UBTech and Philips. He founded the educational toy company Nukotoys, which won the Tesla Prize for tablet innovation and was a finalist for International Connected Toy of the Year. At Damon, Penman will reimagine the brand for the company’s go-to-market phase, create a new brand experience that surprises the world, further build out the creative team, and help grow the motorcycle market. “Damon has captured the world’s attention being the first to use technology to create a deep fusion of rider and motorcycle,” proclaims Penman. “We have built our entire ecosystem of safety, performance and awareness around that. I look forward to creating the most exhilarating, unexpected and fierce mobility brand the motorcycle industry has ever seen.”
Also joining the fierce mobility brand is Head of Design Michael Uhlarik. “Damon continues to redefine the limits of modern motorcycling,” adds Uhlarik. “I’m excited to design the Damon motorcycles of the future and push those boundaries even further to cement the company’s legacy as the leading innovator in two-wheel safety, technology and performance.” An awardwinning motorcycle designer and product planner, Uhlarik has worked for Yamaha, Piaggio, Aprilia and BRP. His credits include the Yamaha TZR-50 and the Yamaha MT-03 as well as contributing to the Aprilia Dorsoduro, SportCity and M1 MotoGP bike. At Damon, Uhlarik will establish the company’s design vision and create a visual vocabulary for Damon products as he builds a world-class design team attracting the best two-wheel designers from around the globe.” CEO Giraud concludes, “As pioneers in their respective fields, Doug and Michael’s purpose and creative vision are tightly aligned to fuse the functions of product design, brand & marketing. This will ultimately give riders a fully charged, inspired and deeply personal riding experience.”
E3 LOOKING TO SPARK LITHIUM BATTERY BIZ
Already known for their ubiquitous marketing campaigns for spark plugs, the E3 has launched the next generation of batteries. “Leaving lead-acid, AGM and even traditional lithium-ion batteries languishing in the dust, E3 Lithium is a quantum leap ahead in the power supply market,” claims E3 VP of Motorsports & Business Development, Rob Fisher. E3’s LiFePO4 Batteries feature a significant weight reduction, a massive power increase and the longest life of any battery available, according to Fisher.
Available in 10 unique configurations covering a wide variety of powersports and automotive applications ranging in power output from 140 to 760 Cold Cranking Amps. E3 says they have batteries for most motorcycle, ATV, UTV, snowmobile and personal watercraft makes and models on the market. “By utilizing advanced chemistry and system design, E3 Lithium Batteries offer outstanding cycle life, high charge acceptance, and up to an 80% weight reduction over lead-acid batteries.”